The Dawn of Titancia
by Rogue Alice
Summary: After the tragic events caused by the Thule Society, Edward and Alphonse try to live out their lives on Earth in the most normal way possible. Although, when a deranged plot is revealed to them, and a mysterious, ancient, and powerful object called the Saeclum Flecte is being targeted for use, the Elric brothers are back to their old, heroic ways in the blink of an eye. Post CoS.


**Chapter One**

**"The light which puts out our eyes is darkness to us….There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star." – Henry Thoreau**

******"S****ome**** memories are not worth forgetting, even if you know they are going to hurt you.****" –Sushan Sharma**

As the rising sun lazily ascended the sky, creeping atop the roofs of decrepit buildings, those of Berlin's slums, its warm rays painted the desolate district with a beautiful golden sheen. The sidewalks, overgrown with weeds and grass, were baked in an amber glow that could have fooled the most experienced goldsmith to declare himself the wealthiest within his trade from this rare find.

Edward found that watching the sunrise was one of life's simple, and rarely sought out, pleasures. He never had much time for such a luxury during his travels. Back then, the sun's arrival had signified the start of twelve more hours of time to search for the Stone, and the departure of the sun had signified another day's failure. Ed had always been looking forward, seeing what the future could hold, never realizing that what the present held in its grasp was just as beautiful and promising.

The young man rested his forehead on the warm glass of his apartment's only window, sighing in contentment as the morning star's glow washed over his golden features, making him seem as though he had been toughed by Midas.

The Elric's one-room apartment was located on the third floor of a practically Spartan-esque, redbrick complex. There was no running water in any of the apartments, no gas or electricity. But there was plumbing. Only, the washrooms had just been installed three years prior and were on the first floor, open for the public use of residents. Three showers for an estimated number of eighteen people from six adobes, one toilet for just the same amount.

Hearing a the tentative clearing of a throat, the elder Elric turned to face his brother who sat in his usual chair at the old, wooden dining room table that sat with one side presses against the wall that held the window. There was a crisp sheet of paper clutched lightly in his hand. As he placed down his pencil, he began to recite.

"Twin blades clashed with earth-shattering force, resonation a shrill ring across the desolate, rolling landscape. A master swords-woman and her foe, as the last remaining warriors of the great battle, fought ferociously for the victory." Alphonse Elric read with determined, dramatized, fire in his words, eyes alight with the thrill of rendering such a world with his only mind and bare hands.

Edward observed his brother's mannerisms with a bit of apprehension. The way his lithe body rippled with an unbridled anticipation as he spoke the violent words sent chills down the elder brother's back. Edward supposed that the consuming ferocity that had plagued his early teenage years had rendered him a bit jittery about such things, but the way that his younger brother seemed to submerge into a demented euphoria at the wildness he had created concerned Edward deeply.

"How did that sound, Brother?" Al chirped expectedly. "Mister Keller, our teacher, told us to '…write about a conflict or opposition'. It isn't finished yet, but I like the beginning so far. What do you think?"

Edward tried his greatest to not cry out something to the effect of, "Your teacher says 'conflict' and the first thing that you think of is a bloody, hopeless war? I'm sorry, Al I'm so sorry that I put you though all of that bloodshed. So sorry...", but he withheld. The elder sibling would do anything to keep his brother free from guilt, to keep a joyful expression on his face. "It sounds great, Al. You have a real talent. I'm sure you'll be a great writer some day!" Ed supplied enthusiastically, flashing his brother a broad, gallant grin.

A light blush whisked over the younger's cheeks; He chuckled with the embarrassment of a complement. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Are you done with your breakfast? If y'are we can head out early." Edward changed the subject, none too discreetly.

"Oh! Yeah, right" Energetically, Al jumped from his seat, snatched the empty bowl of oats, and proceeded to wash out the dish in the large metal basin which substituted for a working sink.

In a short while, the brothers were walking casually down a crack-ridden sidewalk on their way to a quiet park nearby, where they planned to spend the good portion of their free Sunday. Once arriving, and selecting a grass-carpeted spot under their favorite towering tree, they settled down.

"Can I tell you about what I learned about something called the French Revolution?" Alphonse chimed in as he fished out a tattered notebook from the brown messenger bag he had brought along.

Edward laughed lightly. "Al, why do you ask every time? You know I love hearing about this stuff." He smiled, the warm breeze soothingly caressing his skin.

"Alright." Al giggled giddily, opening the notebook to a page bursting at the margins with notes. "Well, there was nothing specific that caused the revolution. Basically years of oppression kindled it. The common people finally had just had enough of the poverty that they were taxed into. Oh, France is that republic across the south-western boarder, by the way…"

With a light heart, Ed listened to Al's endless lecture about what he had learned in school. He loved seeing his brother so passionate about things that weren't dangerous or life-threatening to pursue.

He had always been worried Alphonse would come away scarred from everything they had been though. Edward couldn't deny the whole ordeal had taken a good toll on he himself. The past two years had been hard, really hard. Not knowing if his brother was alive had taken something from him, the something that use to drive him, the something kept him living. It had taken his hope. And sometimes, during those lonely years, Edward felt like that was all he had to his name.

"They said that the trenches ran red with blood which was really disturbing. Can you imagine streams of blood? The smell..." Al shuttered, he had finished his speech and was sitting patiently for the input his brother would usually provide.

"Sounds gruesome," Ed supplied distractedly. "Do you ever learn about happy things in school?" He asked just as a bird twittered among the plethora of lush, green-laced branches above their heads.

"Well, yeah. A few weeks ago we learned about the first American writers. I think I forgot to tell you about that. Basically, we're learning about revolutions and reformations that happened around the world. Earth is an amazing place brother. There are so many great thinkers. The writing is fantastic!" the younger Elric's eyes were alight with thrilled magic, eyes that saw wonderful opportunities and wanted to fiercely grab them by the reins.

From several ends of the park, families were filing in. From the look of their dress, a church picnic was about to take place.

With a deep breath and eyes full of loving sincerity, Ed met his brother's gaze with intensity. "I'm really happy for you, Al. I'm _so _glad you're happy and I want you to always be happy. You deserve it." Edward's nose began to tingle as his vision fogged. He felt so strongly about the things he had said, he was about to cry over it. Gosh, the last few years had really turned him into a sap.

All of a sudden, he was entrapped in an embrace, Al's embrace. "Brother…" The term lingered, saying much more than spoken.

Alphonse was _so _grateful for everything his brother had done for him. But sometimes, the way Ed never bothered to search for his own happiness broke his little brother's heart.

Edward had always been a hard worker, no matter how much he would complain about it in the process, and that fact was strictly proven in the way the elder sibling woke at six in the morning, on weekdays, to work a ten-hour shift at the motor factory located about a dozen blocks from their home. It was also largely apparent in the way Ed would spend his free Saturdays doing repair jobs around the neighborhood for some extra spending money. Since most of his salary was engulfed by Al's monstrous tuition payment for the elite school that the younger sibling attended, they needed funds for school supplies, food, and other essentials. Edward would settle for nothing less for his brother, no matter how much or how loudly said brother had protested.

"Brother, why don't we go back home so you can get some rest? You really need to relax. I shouldn't be dragging you out here." Al rambled as he slid his notebook back into his bag, stood, and extended his hand in an offering his help his brother form the ground. After all of those violent years taking the vitality from Ed's body, the elder Elric tended to move like an elderly man in certain situations.

"I'll be fine. Besides, you love spending a day at the park, and so do I." Ed argued, defiantly staying on the ground and crossing his arms.

Al sighed. Fine, if his brother wouldn't relax, then he was going to at least make him have some fun. "Alright, well then why don't we go get an ice cream? My friend's at school told me that Gletch's Frozen Yogurt got some new flavors in. We should go check it out." With a broad grin, Al challenged Ed to say no to ice cream.

"Sounds good..." Ed smiled back and took his brother's offered hand. After standing, the young man nonchalantly brushed any dirt and grass off his behind and followed after Al, who was walking briskly in the direction of the ice cream parlor.

"Wait up, Al!" Ed called.

"Nope, and I'm going to buy up all of it up for myself if you don't hurry!" Al called back.

"You wouldn't dare." Ed quickened his pace to match that of his brother, a playful scowl on his face.

"Wanna bet?" Al took of running with a foolishly giddy grin crinkling his eyes, his brother sprinted off after him with just the same expression.

**xxx**

Alphonse was wining, and that put a smile on Edward's lips…along with an annoyed tick in his forehead.

He was happy that his little brother was healthy enough to go gallivanting around the city, but couldn't he at least _slow down_?

The brothers had skirted a dozen building corners since leaving the park, entering the more posh sector of the city, passing several high-end specialty shops that made Ed's wallet cringe.

The hum of pedestrian conversation meshed with the rumbling of automobile engines, and Edward could almost pretend he was rushing through Central City, chasing down a delinquent or racing towards Reims Station to catch a train. It was a nice feeling, even if it wasn't real.

With a rush of adrenaline, Edward sped up, only to be jerked from his reverie by a firm arm gripping his left bicep.

"Where are you going, Brother?" Alphonse looked amused, and then after observing Ed's bewildered expression, furrowed his brow in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, just not paying attention." Looking up at the building before him, Edward caught his first glance of Kaufmann's Frozen Yogurt.

The front of the shop was made almost entirely of windows, with large, sun-bleached posters of ice cream plastered on the inside, facing outward. The name was displayed in bright yellow lettering along a wooden board that spanned horizontally across the front, just above the entrance. The establishment looked to be packed with a good amount of customers.

"Come on, let's go inside before all of the seats are gone." Alphonse perked up, dragging his brother through the front door.

The interior was cool, but in a pleasant way. There was idle chatter coming from every corner of the room, smiles were on almost every face. Al led Edward to the end of the ordering counter, towards two vacant, brown bar stools.

They took their seats.

Catching Ed's attention, Alphonse reached down to pat his pocket. "Ms. Weiß paid me for working on her garden. You can order whatever you want, and I'll pay."

"When did you do that?" Edward asked, suspiciously.

"It was during my school holiday. You were at work. I set it up with her earlier in the week." Al smiled, but then frowned at his brother's angry expression.

"Ms. Weiß's house is half way across the city! Why didn't you tell me you were going out alone?" Edward's tone was rising, drawing the attention of those nearby.

Alphonse grit his teeth. "I'm seventeen, Brother. You need to stop acting like I don't know how to handle myself.

"Yeah, Al, you're seventeen, but only in your _head_. Physically, you're thirteen. _You. Could. Get. Hurt_." Edward replied, slightly irritably, jabbing his pointer finger into the counter to stress his words.

Alphonse heaved a great sigh, unclenching a fist he had hardly noticed he'd made. He didn't want to fight with Ed. Not today. He wanted today to be nice. They had both been under so much stress lately, Edward with the bills, and Alphonse with his schoolwork. Today would be fun. That was Al's goal.

"I'm sorry." Al relented, trying not to clench his jaw in irritation. Sometimes, his brother could be too overprotective.

"I'm sorry, too. I…I worry about you. You're still don't understand so much about this world and I-."

"What would you boy's like?" Edward's apology was sliced in two by a voice that made his throat swell painfully as a prelude to regret-induced tears. Slowly, both he, and Al, turned their wide-eyed gaze to the young lady that stood behind the counter. Her golden hair was pinned up in a messy bun; her light eyebrows were quirked with question over her striking blue eyes. "Uh, are you two alright?" she asked.

"W…Winry?" Al choked out, while Ed was speechless.

"What? No, my name's Addie. Have you already been served? Was it the tall guy with the bifocals? I _swear _if he's been spiking the sherbet again…" Addie rambled, looking furious as she crunched her small notepad in her fist.

"Huh? No. I mean…. Sorry, you look familiar, it just shocked us." Alphonse composed himself, feeling his heartbeat speed up by the second. _No, this couldn't happen. _Today was supposed to be a good day; it wasn't supposed to be like this. Out of all the people to come across…

"Oh. Uh, sorry?" An awkward pause stewed between them. "So, what would you like?" Addie strained to keep her attention away from the silent young man that wouldn't look away from her. It was unsettling. He seemed to be in pain.

"Um, the restrooms are around the corner if-."

Suddenly, there was a large crash as Ed sprang from his bar stool and bolted from the exit, leaving Alphonse in the dust and the Winry look-a-like paralyzed with shock. The whole shop paused in their conversations to gawk at the two odd young men as they rushed from the store.

"Ed, wait!"

Out on the street, the elder brother pushed his way past civilians, rubbing at his eyes to make the sting go away. Painful memories of his last words to Winry flooded his mind, making him lightheaded.

"Ed!"

He could barley hear Al's shouts over the ringing in his ears. It was like seeing Hughes' double all over again. The fresh, ripping pain was blinding. Stopping to catch his breath, Edward shuffled into an ally, leaning heavily against the chilled, red brick, and rubbed fiercely at his face, almost as through he was trying to scrub away the memories.

"Ed, I'm so sorry. I didn't know she would be there and-." Alphonse had entered the alley, expression full of panic and voice high with the same emotion.

"Stop." Edward interrupted. "You don't need to apologize. I'm sorry for overreacting." There was a long silence between them, neither moved, neither talked, and yet the world continued on around them.

Alphonse sighed, dejectedly. "Let's go back to the apartment," and so they did, stewing in their remembrances, without a word.

**I have a challenge for you. Where do you think Alphonse's bag has gone? 'Cause I sure don't know. XD**

**Reviews are welcome. **


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